I have a number of Handi centerfires and multiple barrel sets... I have fitted barrels to receivers many times... normally my base guns are ordered through my LGS... barrels mostly purchased online... then the fitting begins... you know that routine.
This time I went a different route (for those of you who have already figured this out and done this, please disregard
)...
I have a .243/.308 Win Ultra set... I had purchased a .7mm/08 Rem barrel and was looking to put together another set with .223 Rem...
There was a retailer about three hours away that had eight .223 Handi's in stock... as luck would have it, I was going to be within an hour of the shop on a vacation... so I called ahead and asked if they would mind if I tried my 7mm/08 barrel on multiple .223 receiver's (I promised that I would walk out of the store with a gun... and powder, and bullets and ammo, and dies etc...etc... you know the routine)... The sales clerk said, "no problem." So I went in and tried the 7mm/08 barrel on eight different receivers... and as luck would have it, the final one was a perfect fit, with zero waggle and full engagement... (some of the fits were horrible, others were close) I also tried the new .223 barrel and 7mm/08 barrel on my Winchester set SB2 frame and vice versa... ALL four barrels lock up tight and secure on both frames... perfect, as both Ultra rifles and all four scoped barrels fit into a single Plano Double Scoped Rifle case.
This has been a far better way to go for me than, the usual "bubblegum and bailer twine" methods.
Just a thought I would put it out there in case it has taken any of you as long as me to figure this option out (not likely).